Somali pirates have seized two Yemeni fishing ships with 22 fishermen on board in the Gulf of Aden, a regional maritime group confirmed on Friday.

A statement from the East Africa's Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the pirates seized the vessel on Wednesday as they sailed off the Mait area near the southern port city of Aden.

The statement quoting Yemeni ministry of interior said the authorities have confirmed that all the 22 fishermen taken as hostages by the pirates were Yemenis, but sources of Yemen's Coastguards Authority said that seven fishermen escaped on a small boat and had claimed the pirates attacked the two ships as they were sailing in the Gulf of Aden.